Below Deck
by Psychofilly
Summary: Jealous Angel, Cordy Cruise Ship, and rope. Angel and Cordy hunt demons on a cruise ship...smut ensues, eventually.


Below Deck R  
Below Deck  
By: Psychofilly  
Rating: R  
Disclaimer: All belongs to the Joss-god.  
Summary: Nc17 Fluff challenge from Princess Twilight. Jealous Angel, Cordy Cruise Ship, and rope. Angel and Cordy hunt demons on a cruise ship...smut ensues, eventually. I can't do absolutely plotless smut, sorry.  
Achive: PT and Nothing Fancy can have, everyone else ask.  
  
  
  
  
He was in hell.  
  
  
No, really...  
  
  
Truly.  
  
  
He wasn't kidding here. H-E-L-L.  
  
  
  
His definition of hell? A cruise ship...even worse a cruise ship with Cordelia Chase on board. He was sure everyone at home was laughing at his expense. Him...a vampire, darkness, skulking in the shadows, moonlight, blood lust, quiet musty places...These things he understood. They were a part of his nature, but noooo!  
  
He was on the open sea...tucked in tight like a sardine in a tin. He lay here surrounded by sun, surf, and golden bodies; stuck all day in the lower levels of this damn boat, locked away from all the fun...locked away from her.  
  
Cordelia...he wondered why his heart did this funny, lurching thing, when he thought about the last couple of days. He certainly hadn't expected her to spend every waking hour with him, case, or no case. He had fully expected her to take advantage of the situation...he just hadn't expected her to be so shameless about it.  
  
Angel glared at the ceiling, as if he expected it to actually contribute something to the one sided conversation. He had already made a slow circuit through the bowels of the ship, exploring and hunting. He was hungry, irritable, and just plain...bored.  
  
"She should be here with me!" he growled. "I know, I KNOW! I told her to go have fun, but did she have to listen?" His arms gestured in wild emphasis. "She NEVER listens to anything else I tell her. Why start now? And WHAT is with those tiny, little...ahem...outfits she INSISTS on wearing? And did you see how brown she is getting?" He snickered. "I mean COME ON! She'll end up looking 65 by the time she hits 40..."  
  
Angel scowled. He was even beginning to sound like her, but dammit...he missed her. All he could think about was her out there, above him, hair flying in the crisp breeze, her lithe golden body caressed by the sun...as dozens of bronzed men fell at her feet in abject worship. Her glistening skin as the salty water sluiced across it like liquid diamonds...  
  
He shook his head trying to banish such thoughts, but the forced intimacy of this case was making it that much harder...making him har-...STOP! He tried to take control of his thoughts, but his mind drifted, and against his better judgment, he began to think about the last couple of nights...  
  
The night's he and Cordelia had spent alone...in the same room...in the same bed.  
  
The first night had been no big deal, really. They had found one demon, and after a brutal fight he had killed it. He had absently noticed the cute little short set she wore to bed. He had been in sweats and a tee. Not his definition of erotic, and any awkwardness they might have felt had been overpowered by sheer exhaustion. Angel had simply been too bruised and beaten to care who was sleeping next to him.  
  
It had been nice though, waking to see her curled around herself...not even an arms length away. He could feel the pull of her pulse, as it called seductively, teasing him. She was so damn trusting that he could control that side of his nature. He was grateful she had never fully realized how razor sharp the line he walked really was.   
  
His hungry stare had pulled her from her peaceful slumber, and her eyes had shone with that steely tenderness he had come to rely so heavily on over the past few months. They had watched the sun rise. He had been careful to stay out of the column of light that slashed through the glass of the balcony doors of their "Honeymoon Suite". Cordelia however had stepped eagerly into the lights embrace, her mouth already spilling forth with her plans for the day. Angel had blanched, stunned that she hadn't planned to spend the day with him.  
  
He had tried. He'd played the wounded puppy card. He had even stooped to begging...him begging! Cordelia had refused to be guilt-ed into staying. He had even tried to restrain her, unconsciously using his body as a lure, but she had only smiled coyly, and spun out of his grasp.  
  
She promised him the night, her laughing eyes shining mischievously at his disappointment. She was a creature of the sun, and she refused to live her life completely in the shadows...even for him.  
  
She had come back about an hour before sunset. She looked refreshed, vibrant, alive. He had wanted to take her then, and mark her as his...steal a few sips of her life, and savor it like a fine wine.  
  
He already had a bad case of cabin fever. He was sure he seemed a little manic. He distinctly heard her call him a dork on three separate occasions, but as soon as he was sure the fading light wouldn't fry his ass, he drug her back up on deck.  
  
She laughed at his eagerness, and he laughed with her, out of sheer relief. He was out in the open, being seen with her, and by her. He had taken extra care with his appearance, wearing a french gray sweater, and leather pants. The leather was getting him into Angelus territory, but...he really wanted her to notice.  
  
She had changed into this dress...if you could call it that. It was a tiny slip of a thing, cut more modest than some things he had seen her wear, but not by much. If her intent was to be noticed, it was working...and not just on him. Grrr. She had already eaten, so they walked along the upper decks. She had linked her arm with his, and proceeded to tell him all about her day.  
  
They stopped and he ducked into a shop, and bought her a non fat caramel latte. She found a bench and they sat, her drinking, gesturing and talking, in short, just being Cordy. He let the cumulative effect wash over him and simply basked in her presence. The soft night breeze ruffled her short highlighted hair, her eyes sparkled, and her smile dazzled his vision. He could have blissed out then and there, except for the fact that her steady chatter actually caught his attention.  
  
"So then Bill asked me if I could see him again, but I said no because I planned on seeing Jeremy at that time, so then HE was like What about later? So now my whole morning is booked, and it all sounds so fun...Angel?" Her fingers snapped in front of his face, and her hand waved wildly trying to catch his attention...  
  
"B-Bill? Jeremy??" He stammered. "Who are these people? Cordy...you can't!" He growled. "You won't!"  
  
"Can't won't what?" She huffed. "I certainly can...I already am. It shouldn't matter to you anyway!" She sat back in her chair and glared.  
  
He could see the challenge in her eyes, and for a moment Angel didn't care if he sounded more like a jealous lover than her boss, he just reacted. He leaned forward, letting a glint of yellow creep into his eyes. "You won't because, I. Said. So!"  
  
"Pffft" She crossed her arms, taking up the gauntlet. "Like when has that EVER stopped me?"  
  
"Dammit Cordelia!" Time to play the big bad boss. "We're on a case! This isn't real!" He hissed. Angel suddenly felt like the world's biggest ass when her face fell and she began to scowl. Bill and Jeremy...over his dead body...or whatever. "Cordy, look I"m sorry. I'm just saying we should stay focused on the mission." There he could do it, he could be logical...  
  
It didn't matter that she drove him half mad with desire, it didn't matter that he felt more comfortable with her than anyone he had ever met. He was stuck inside all day, and selfish as it was, Angel couldn't stand the fact that she was off having fun without him, even if her definition of fun had him thinking a root canal would be better. He simply wouldn't tolerate her having fun with other men. Thing were supposed to be better, because Groo had left, but now she had men lining up two and three deep.  
  
"The mission?" She groused. "I've kept my eyes peeled. I've covered all the bases that you can't! I don't understand how an hour or two's diversion is going to hurt!"  
  
"FINE, whatever..." Angel tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but it creeped in around the edges. For some reason that seemed to amuse his seer. She stuck her tongue out. I will not smile, I will not smile, I will not smile. She crossed her eyes, her pink tongue still sticking out. No dammit! Anger! Grrr...glare...I am evil...I will not smile! She scrunched her nose, and the whole effect crumbled him. The left side of his face began to twitch, and the right side of his lips were beginning to stretch.  
  
She knew she had won. Her shoulders rocked from side to side, and she laughed, pure and wild. Again he couldn't help but join her. Angel could snap her body like a twig, but in sheer force of will, she had always been his better.  
  
Their evening had been a pleasant one. He tried to forget that she had decided to jump feet first back into the dating thing, and just concentrate on her being there with him now. They rambled around the ship, two old souls in young bodies, testing the night life offered, and finding it wanting...They ended up on their own little balcony, content in each others presence. Her eyes were cast heavenward, Angel's lingered on more terrestrial treasures.  
  
It was all too soon before Cordy was yawning, and looking longingly at the bed. Angel allowed his knee to brush against hers. He heard her sharp breath as the leather touched her bare skin. He smiled. "You sleepy?"  
  
"Mmmhm." She replied, "I'm going to get ready for bed." She stood, and for a moment simply stared at him, her features softened by the silvery light. She touched his jaw, thumb brushing his chin with the lightest of touches. "Ok?"  
  
Her touch surprised him, and stirred his lust for all things Cordy. He remained still as a statue, and grunted, not trusting himself to speak. He wanted to suck her thumb into his mouth and bite it. Just enough to draw a drop of blood...a taste. He shivered. She turned and disappeared inside the room.  
  
A few minutes later she emerged, scrubbed free of makeup, hair pulled back with a clip. He sat on the balcony tracking her movements by sound alone. He heard her nervous heartbeat, which she attempted to cover by fluffing the pillows. He got up, closed the doors and pulled the drapes.  
  
He faced her, and for a moment felt the need to suck in a breath. She was magnificent. Her full breasts hung free, hidden behind the thin white cotton of her tank top. If he looked hard enough he could make out the dusky shape of her nipples, which were at this moment straining at the confines of the fabric. Her panties reminded him of the little short shorts of the sixties. Deliberately modest as her underwear went, but for his overactive mind, she could have been in an arctic parka, and still looked sexy.  
  
She hugged something to her chest. "Sorry." She mumbled. It gets pretty hot in here at night. He shrugged, still not trusting himself to speak, and in one smooth motion, pulled his shirt over his head. He could hear Cordelia's heart rate increasing again. He ran his fingers down his stomach absently drumming them against tight muscle. His eyes were drawn to the thing she was clutching so tightly in her arms.  
  
It was Connor's favorite teddy bear. He felt a brief flash of anger, followed closely by sadness. Anger because even though he wasn't here, she was trying to use Connor as a shield to keep him at bay, and sadness for the boy that never was, and the mother figure that she never got to be.  
  
His son was out there somewhere. He was angry, confused, and perfectly capable of taking care of himself. At least he was back in this dimension...reachable...at least once he figured how to tear down the wall of hate Holtz had spent 15 yrs carefully crafting.  
  
Cordy looked so vulnerable there, clutching a forgotten plaything, like it could ward off the devil itself. Did she think of him as threatening? Was he a devil to her? The darkness inside him writhed seeking release. He pushed it down, but her heart was pounding, and control was getting to be a dicey word, especially when her eyes were glued to his chest, and slowly dragging down to were his trembling hands now rested.  
  
Slowly he unbuttoned his pants, He was pushing the boundaries, daring her to say something. His hand hovered over his zipper. He enjoyed her expression as she sucked in a breath and held it. What was it about the way she looked at him that made his smallest gesture seem completely erotic? He quit questioning it, and un-zipped his fly. Her eyes went wide, shining in the dim glow of the single lamp. Her blood was pounding through her veins, filling up his senses.  
  
This was insane. He knew he had been pushing things a little lately, trying to tease a response out of her, but she had seen him in his boxers about a million times, even after he realized he was in love with her. Modesty, had just never been a huge issue, so why did this seem so different? Why did he feel like he would blush, if he could? Why was he struggling so hard with his emotions? It hit him as he stepped out of his pants...it was Cordy. She had never looked at him like this before. Her eyes were greedily drinking him in, and the honeyed perfume of her arousal hung thick in the air between them.   
  
Every primal instinct in his body sang to him. Just take her. His skin burned with the heat of pagan fire and ancient lust...Want. Take. Have. He was a vampire, it was his nature, but he was also a man...She had made him that. He sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, his back to her. "Night." He mumbled and flipped off the light, plunging them into darkness.  
  
"Night Angel." She echoed, her voice carrying a wisp of sadness. She rolled away, and both lay stiff and alone, praying for sleep.  
  
Angel woke to the sound of Cordy's heartbeat. He was blissfully warm, and couldn't remember the last time he felt so content.  
  
She was resting peacefully in his arms. Her head nestled in the crook of his neck, resting on his bare shoulder. Her shirt had ridden up a bit in the night, and most of her smooth back was firmly molded to his chest, branding him with her heat. Her firm buttocks were pressed into the curve of his groin, and their legs ended in a graceful tangle.   
  
Oh, crap.  
  
Angel never wanted to move again...ever. With barely a whisper of movement he brushed her short strands of hair away from her neck and buried his face into her pulse point, at the juncture of her shoulder. He simply lay there breathing her in, letting the warmth soak into his face. He could have laid like that all day, with no fear of cabin fever, except for the fact that he was now painfully hard, and pressing firmly against her ass.  
  
Oh, shit.  
  
He rocked himself back a little, but in her sleep Cordy moved as well, effectively pressing him closer to her than before. The smooth length of his shaft now rested against the back of her thighs. He froze, afraid to try and move again, knowing she was close to waking.  
  
Oh, fuck.  
  
Cordy shifted again, flattening herself to the bed, unconsciously pulling her with him. He stifled a groan, as her bottom leg kicked strait, and her top leg curled up towards her stomach. She lurched, pulling his arm around her like a human cover, his morning wood, pressing her from behind, directly over her hot entrance.  
  
Help...  
  
He tried to pull his arm free, but she had it in a death grip. Fighting the urge to panic, and thankful for not having to worry about circulation in that arm, he simply gave up. He let his head fall, now resting on her shoulder, and tried to relax.  
  
It didn't do any good. He was still hard as a rock when she finally woke up. He pretended to be asleep, hoping desperately that she would ignore it, slip out of bed, and pretend it never happened. Riiight, when did HE ever have that kind of luck?  
  
"Angel?"  
  
Damn! "Mmmm?" He tried to sound appropriately groggy.  
  
"Angel, is there something...?" She shifted, trying to dislodge the uncomfortable lump, only managing to press it harder against her cleft.   
  
"Cor...I don't think..." Angel bit his lip hard, but he couldn't stop his small embarrassed squeak.   
  
She stilled as realization slowly sunk in. He watched as her entire body seemed to flush a delicate shade of pink, but he didn't let her go. She gulped. "Oh,"  
  
He couldn't help but chuckle at his flustered seer. "It'll pass." He couldn't see her face, but he could practically feel her eyebrow arch.  
  
"Hmph." She sounded slightly indignant, but she hadn't pulled away yet which he found oddly encouraging.  
  
He purred letting her feel the rumbling of his chest, it was unique to vampires, and most people found it incredibly sexy. "What?"  
  
"Nothing," she sighed. "I'm just trying to decide if I should be offended by that last remark, or not."  
  
"I see." He smiled, and placed the tiniest of kisses on her shoulder.  
  
"You want to talk sex appeal? I'll have you know, buster..." She rolled, and suddenly he was face to face with her and he just knew...with absolute clarity...that this, was meant to be. In that moment he believed it all, Kyrumption, moira, Santa Claus, and The Tooth Fairy. Lorne had been right all along, and this clueless vixen, and he were meant to be. He just couldn't picture himself with anyone but the teasing beauty beneath him. "...so Pffft!"  
  
She defiantly stuck her tongue out, her final answer to so many of her arguments. He smiled, his eyes full of love, and as much happiness as he could allow himself. He bent down to capture that tongue with a kiss, but found himself kissing the pillow. She had slipped from his arms and into the bathroom before he could react. Angel dropped on an elbow, and glared angrily at the bathroom door.  
  
This was getting ridiculous. He wanted her, he knew that she felt something too, but what he didn't understand was why she was constantly running away. He had never had to throw himself at a woman before, and by his standards, that had been ALL he had been doing for the past couple of months.  
  
She breezed out, hair and makeup perfect, clothes...sunny. He pushed himself off the bed, still in his boxers. "Cordy..." He had already lost her. her walls were up, and she seemed hell bent on getting out of their room.  
  
He let her go. Hell, if being intimate with him freaked her out that much...NO! He wouldn't think about that. Cordelia Chase was in love with him...she just couldn't admit it. Before this cruise was over, he was determined to find out why!  
  
So this had been his day. He had searched for the second demon, with no luck, of course. He ended up back in their cabin, brooding, conversating with the ceiling. Maybe he WAS cracking up..."All work and no play, makes Angel a dull boy"...His wolfish grin would have sent shivers down Cordelia's back, if she had been there to see it.  
  
  
  
OK, so she had lied a little...  
  
She had told Angel about ALL the fun she had been having, and there had definitely been SOME fun, and plenty of hotties if you were into the eye candy. What was up with all of Angel's new clothes anyway? The leather was just going to far, dammit!  
  
She knew Angel had to be going nuts down below, and every once and a while a twinge of guilt plagued her, but she just couldn't do it...She was actually on the verge of asking for a separate room, but she couldn't do that either. She smacked her forehead with the book she had been reading, a frustrated "Arrgh" slipping from her ruby lips.  
  
A shadow fell across her lounge chair. She shielded her eyes and looked up. He was hot...but too bulgy...She was all for big muscles, but not that big! He was too tan. Didn't he give a crap about what he was going to look like ten years from now? He had a bright vacuous smile, ugh...too much like Groo. She didn't need a puppy dog, she needed a...wolf. Whoa, where did THAT come from?  
  
"Excuse me, buddy! Your blocking my light!" The tanned sun god looked down at her, and scowled, his confusion evident. "Yeah you...god's gift...you can skedaddle now." Hmph, some people...damn, what was she thinking!" That had been the third one she had dismissed today.  
  
Her mind skimmed back over the past few months...Damn vampire, this was ALL his fault! Angel's behavior had, to say the least, become disturbing.  
  
It had began in earnest after the ballet, he had made her feel more alive than...but it didn't count, (possessed much?). She had panicked, right into the arms of the Groosalug. Groo was good, Groo was safe, but Groo also wasn't stupid. He was in WAY over his head, and he knew it. After Wesley had betrayed them...(Her heart still hurt every time she thought about it.) Angel had needed her, there had been no choice to be made, her place was by Angel's side...Groo didn't stick around for long.  
  
That was when things had started to get really weird.  
  
Never mind that Connor had come back 16yrs old, and hell bent on Angel's destruction. Never mind that her other best friend had become a shell of the man that he had been, and was now firmly in the grasp of their enemies, never mind that Gunn and Fred were so sickeningly sweet together that even SHE wanted to hurl...  
  
Something had happened to Angel. Something was wrong, he was freaking her out...  
  
Angel was one of those 'complete attention' guys. He could make you feel like you were the only person in the universe that matters. She had seen the look when he had been with Buffy...he kept looking at HER like that.  
  
HE had become touchy. This was Angel, he was not a touchy-feely kinda guy, even at the best of times. Now, he kept finding reasons, creating accidents, and even the lightest brush of his body would send her heart rate into a tailspin. He was a very, very bad vampire...  
  
HE kept finding reasons to ALWAYS be around.  
  
HE had insisted the two of them come on this stupid cruise...OK! She had a vision, he could have brought Gunn.  
  
HE had insisted that the honeymoon suite would be 'less conspicuous' Like the demons they were chasing even cared!  
  
HE had been dressing to impress. If she had a dollar for every angry, jealous, female glare...but he had been oblivious, only looking at her!  
  
HE had pulled the little strip tease routine last night. His damn beautiful eyes burning into her like live coals.  
  
HE had been the one with the enormous hard on!  
  
HE had been the one that looked like he was going to kiss her!  
  
SHE had been the one who had run...  
  
Oh, god.  
  
Oh, god, no!  
  
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, Not now...not him!  
  
"Yep."  
  
She was practical, she could deal. She was in love with Angel, and had been for like, forever. The blinders were off now. The PTB's could laugh at their great cosmic joke...  
  
...but, He had been the one about to KISS her! She had rolled to face him, feeling every inch of his arousal as it had drug across her hip and rested on her leg. His strong thigh had draped over her, settling at the apex of her thighs, pushing slightly into her mons.  
  
She had stuck her tongue out...and he...and then she...oh god! She glanced at her watch. It was almost time for her appointment.  
  
She and Angel really needed to talk. If he felt half as much for her, as she felt for him, then they really, really, REALLY needed to talk. There would be no kissing, or stripping, or hard on's, or ANYTHING else, until they got a few issues resolved!  
  
Satisfied with her internal rant, Cordy gathered her things and headed for the salon. She had been thinking lately...brunette really WAS her color, and besides, Jeremy seemed to really know what he was doing...  
  
Cordelia was so wrapped up in planning her new hairstyle, that she didn't notice the pair of golden eyes tracking her from the shadows...  
  
  
  
  
  
"Bum, bum, bum, bummmm..."  
"Dun, du, du, dunnnnn..."  
  
Angel threw his hands around wildly as he conducted, sometimes hitting the bed, his crossed feet tapping out the beat. Time was passing in slow motion, and he felt that he should already be insane. He was going to relish killing that demon when he found it. What kind of a demon hunts on a cruise ship anyway? He tried once more to concentrate on the music, his music, not Cordelia's crap. He lay on the bed, listening to the portable CD player. Modern technology did have it's advantages...  
  
He knew it was time for his afternoon sweep, he fully intended to get going. He also needed to feed. It had been two days, they had both agreed he should limit his diet while on board. One could only sneak so much blood into ones luggage, but the hunger was starting to get to him. He'd go...after the CD finished.  
  
It was important that He concentrate on the music...soothe the savage beast? Riiight. The music was important. It soothed the itchy crawly need to be doing something from overwhelming him. It kept his mind off the talk he was planning on having with Cordelia, the one he was deathly afraid of chickening out of. It kept unwanted fantasies at bay...Yeah, and he was the William Powell to Cordy's Myrna Loy...music didn't do shit, but add a soundtrack.  
  
He absently stroked down the length of his penis, picturing Cordelia's laughing face above him, as she rode him, her tan skin glowing in the tropical night, as he penetrated her with his fangs. His cock twitched at the thought of her blood flowing into his mouth flooding him with her essence...he shuddered, and with conscious effort stilled his hands. He had to stop, otherwise there would be no talking to Cordelia, there would just be taking...  
  
He was ashamed to admit to himself how much he obsessed over her, how many of his waking thoughts were consumed by her, but he couldn't feel guilty. His love for her was the only pure thing he had in his life right now. She often made him think about normal things...human things, like long walks in the sun, and taking her nice places, and doing the small things that made her feel like a princess. He so desperately wanted to be that man for her.  
  
But he wasn't.  
  
He was a demon. Sex and pain were his art, and he knew both intimately. Some of the things he fantasized, he was sure would put her in therapy for life if she ever found out, but she had always recognized that the demon inside him was as much a part of him as his soul. She had always accepted his violent nature and his need for blood. She knew the risks. She was pragmatic and shrewd, almost caustic...but not stupid. It scared him how well she had adapted to his lifestyle. He had never meant to pull her out of the sun, and into his darkness, but it was way to late to try and fix it. He loved her to much, to ever let her go again.  
  
Lost in his full on brood session it didn't take long for sleep to come, and Angel drifted into a fitful slumber.  
  
"Angel. Angel wake up!"  
  
"Whu?" The volume on the CD must have accidentally been turned up, because now it was blaring in his ears. "Who's there?"  
  
"Hey there slugger, remember me?" A naggingly familiar, overly cheerful voice boomed. "Oh, I'm sure you do! Last time we saw each other you were kicking my ass, ring any bells?"  
  
Angel opened his sleep gummed eyes. A Copper skinned demonic face slowly resolved. "Skip?" He tried to sit up, but found he couldn't move. "What do you want?" He grumbled.  
  
"Oh, That's just great! I'm getting attacked, and he's SLEEPING! What did I tell you? Better yet, you tell me, what kind of champion is it that sleeps on the job, who can't understand a simple dream, who snore's when he doesn't even need to frickin breath...!" Angel's eyes swiveled to the other side of the bed, where his agitated seer stood. He began to chuckle. "Great, now he's cackling like some sort of psycho!"  
  
"Well if you'd just shut up FOR ONCE!" He glared at her, and her own eyes flashed dangerously in return. "You have to fill the air with your incessant babbling. What are you so afraid of, huh? That I might get a word in edgewise! Every time I try to touch you or talk about anything meaningful you run..."  
  
Cordy gasped, her face turning crimson. "Let's get something strait here you stupid Vampire...!"  
  
Skip waved his arm, and Cordelia was silent. Her mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out...which she promptly realized, and the considerable weight of her wrath turned to Skip.   
  
"Sorry Chase, but your vampire is right, and all that hostility is jamming up the frequencies." Skip shrugged. "I guess we'll just have to do this the old fashioned way...Oh, and this THING that you two have going on...work it out. I have to monitor you two, and the angst...it just ain't pretty." Cordy was still glaring at Skip when they disappeared.  
  
A sharp stab of pure panic jolted Angel awake. He jerked up earphones flying off of his head. He felt disoriented, he rubbed the back of his neck trying to dislodge the knot of tension that had settled there. He had fallen asleep, and had a weird, no, VERY weird dream. That had to be it, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.  
  
He felt another dose of panic slam through him, but this time it felt like someone had split his skull open with an axe. There was a flash...a corridor, brown hair flopping into his eyes...  
  
How did he end up on the floor?  
  
The phone rang, and a woman screamed...no...that had been him. What Wesley wouldn't have paid to see that. His heart lurched in pain, but he pushed it down. Eventually these random Wesley thoughts would have to go away. The phone rang again, and he jumped, looking around. He noticed that the bright afternoon light had faded into the gray tones of dusk.  
  
WHERE IS THE FUCKING PHONE!!!  
  
One more ring, and he lunged towards the sound. "Cordelia?"  
  
A flustered cough was all he heard. "Ummm, no actually I was looking for her."  
  
"What?" Angel's mind whirled but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why anyone else would be calling for his Cordy. " Who is this?"  
  
"This is Bill."  
  
Angel growled.  
  
"I'm sorry, but do you have an animal in there with you?" The obviously flustered Bill asked.  
  
Angel's mind was starting to clear a little as the vision pain eased. "Ummm, yes. A dog! We have a dog."  
  
"Vicious sounding doggy."  
  
Growing impatient, Angel snapped. "WHAT about Cordelia?"  
  
Oh right, well she didn't show up for her appointment, and..." His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "To tell you the truth I was kind of pissed. If she couldn't have made it, all she needed to do is call."  
  
Angel was lost, but finally he remembered about this Bill. It was all he could do not to growl again. "Wait, appointment? I thought you were her date?"  
  
Bill laughed, and suddenly Angel realized he sounded a lot like Lorne...flamboyant. "You could call it that I guess." The man on the other end of the line chuckled. "I'm a masseuse. A busy one too. I was upset Cordy ditched the appointment, but didn't really think much of it, until I talked to Jeremy. He said she specifically mentioned that she was on her way to see me."  
  
Angel pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. "Was Jeremy her date?"  
  
Bill laughed. "She wasn't his type, though from the sound of your voice, you might be...Say, that's a mean sounding dog you have there."  
  
Dread settled into the pit of Angel's stomach. Cordelia was missing. "Look, Mr...Bill." He grimaced. "I need you to do me a favor."  
  
Angel felt a strong tug on the back of his neck, and pain lanced through him like a bolt of lightning. The vision hit, and Angel was thrown back against the wall so hard it cracked. He grabbed at his head in an effort to hold himself together, falling to his knees under the onslaught of pain. Images and other sensations began to pour into his brain. It was strange, he was perfectly aware of his body seizing on the floor, yet at the same time he was...  
  
Slung over something's back, by the color, and ugh, the smell. It had to be the second demon. Of course all he had to go by was the damn things ass. His heightened senses picked up a pounding heartbeat, and he could feel the blood pulsing, through the living body. After living almost 250 years with the silence of his dead body, it was overwhelming. He could smell blood, and he felt a throbbing pain in his shoulder. He turned his head, realizing only then that he was gagged. Instead of his pale muscular shoulder, he realized he was looking at a thinner feminine, brown one. Her hands were tied together, arms dangling loosely over her head. Arms and hands he would have recognized anywhere.   
  
Cordelia.  
  
She was hurt, and in trouble. He could feel her fear and barely controlled panic. His demon was fighting to the surface, trying to take control. It wanted to revel in her emotions which they could feel more intimately than even feeding from her would have allowed. He was like a junkie being forced to withstand a fix of the purest form of his drug of choice, all he could do was ride it out, but the hunger...the desire. He groaned, battling to keep even a semblance of his sanity in the face of her emotions. If not for her he would have lost it, but there buried under the terror was another feeling, something he clung to as the demon battered it's way to the surface...faith. Her faith in him was unshakable, even after all the things they had been through, it still burned bright in her heart. He could feel her trying to reach out and establish a connection with him, he felt her frustration when she didn't feel anything. She didn't realize he was already there.  
  
She twisted her neck further around. He saw a long musty corridor, and a sign. He knew where that was. He could find her! As quickly as they came the images stopped, leaving him lying bonelessly sprawled on the floor, gasping in unneeded breath. His head ached so bad he almost blacked out, his motor functions seemed to be fried, and he was pretty sure he was drooling. As Angel gingerly tried to regain his feet, he discovered a newfound respect for Cordelia Chase. He was a demon, and he didn't think he could have withstood two and a half years of that kind of pain with his sanity in tact, and she had done it without the demon strength.  
  
Angel staggered to the bed and threw on his shoes. He had been in his sweats and an undershirt but with no time to change, he just grabbed his coat, slipped his axe under it, and ran as fast as his shaky legs would allow, deep into the bowels of the boat.  
  
  
  
Cordelia Chase was in big trouble.  
  
No really...  
  
BIG  
  
TROUBLE.  
  
She had time to contemplate this while Angel carried her back to their room slung over his shoulder like a slab of meat. He kept up a long unintelligible monologue the entire way, every once and a while squeezing her inner thigh for emphasis. Her shoulder was still bleeding, and it throbbed in time with his hurried gait. She should have known by the wild look in his eyes that all was not right in Angelville, but at the time she had simply just been gratefully stunned that he had found her.   
  
She would have been demony lunch, but as usual, Angel had swooped in like the dark knight and kicked some serious demon booty. Of course he had gotten pretty banged up in the process. She had tried to hop out of the way, but in the heat of the battle, Angel had knocked the demon into her, and she had tumbled over a balcony down into a well placed swimming pool. Desperation had guided Angel's axe as he threw it, catching the green demon between the eyes and killing it instantly.   
  
He had dived in after her, pulling her out of the pool. It had washed most of the bright blue demon blood out of their clothes, but being that she had been tied hand and foot, she had come painfully close to drowning. People around them had clapped...of course he was bruised, they were both dripping wet, their clothes stained blue and red with mingled blood... the absurdity of it all made it seem like just one more form of entertainment to be found on the big boat.   
  
They didn't contradict them.  
  
In fact Angel had one of those big idiotic grins on his face, the one that she thought totally destroyed the whole cool dark stranger mythos that he valued so damn much. He had pulled the gag out of her mouth, and she had smiled, holding up her bound hands, which he took between her own. His smile if anything grew wider, and he pulled her toward him covering her lips softly with his...What the HELL was he thinking? She hadn't minded his kiss, in fact she had downright melted at the simple feel of his cool dripping lips on hers, but instinct, habit, or both caused her to stiffen and pull back.   
  
That had done it.  
  
His eyes had hardened, and darkened from rich chocolate to dead black. She noticed his angry frantic features, as he searched her face. His hands at her wrists grew painful, and she heard a frustrated rumbling deep in his chest. For a second she was afraid he might vamp out right there in front of the crowd...  
  
"Angel!" She began in a harsh whisper. "Well talk about this later OK, just untie me."  
  
His eyes flashed gold, for a brief second. He staggered to his feet, and yanked her up. She gasped at the sudden movement, and the wrench to her injured shoulder. Their eyes locked, and a cold smirk twisted across Angel's features. "No." He whispered just as harshly. "Your not running away from me this time Cordy!"  
  
"But!" She started, only to have the gag stuffed back into her mouth. He bent down and threw her easily over his shoulder. With a jaunty wave to the crowd, and a smarmy grin, he turned and stalked back to their cabin.  
  
The frickin crowd only clapped harder.  
  
Stupid vampire!  
  
The door burst open, then slammed shut. He dumped her rudely over the arm of the couch, and then disappeared into the bathroom. She pushed herself into a standing position, and pulled off the gag. Angel would pay for this, he had no right to treat her this way...she heard the soft plop of wet clothes hitting the tiled floor...She may not have been Queen Bitch from Sunnydale any more, but she DESERVED respect.   
  
"DAMMIT Angel what in the HELL is...wrong...with..." Angel stalked angrily from the bathroom to their luggage, and began to rummage angrily throwing things out of his way. "Where is it?" he demanded looking for the first aid kit.  
  
Angel was naked. He was completely naked AND he was glaring angrily at her, totally unconcerned that he was completely naked and that she was staring...  
  
She couldn't stop staring...  
  
Stop  
  
STARING!!  
  
With an embarrassed eep, she quickly turned her back to him, blushing from her toes to the roots of her hair. Her mind was racing almost as fast as her heart. She could hear him rummaging through their luggage, but all she could think about was his body. She had seen it before, well most of it. She had patched him up so many times that his smooth bare back, or perfectly muscled chest didn't spark much reaction from her any more. She had slept in the same bed with him on several occasions, seen him in his boxers too many times to count. She had even caught him bare assed once...It was Angel, the no-bone, best friend, eunuchy guy. She could look at that guy, and shrug off any fleeting moment of attraction with a disinterested "eh".  
  
This was NOT that guy. Maybe it was the total effect, seeing all his...bits...at once. Maybe it was the fact that he looked so angry, that for once it wasn't easy to forget that a large part of him was a rather unstable murderous vampire. When she looked at him she felt it like a kick in the gut. She didn't know which feeling was stronger the fear, or the desire.   
  
She didn't hear him any more, and that kicked the fear in her up a notch she turned, only to find herself nose to nose with the undead bastard. She screamed and tried to jump back, but her feet were still tied together. Her momentum bent her backwards, and she started to tumble back onto the couch. Angel's arm snapped forward, and he caught the back of her neck, and jerked her towards him. His eyes bored into hers, and he simply held her there against him.  
  
She could see the pain and confusion in his murky gaze, his jaw was turning a livid shade of purple, and one eye was ringed with an angry shade of red. A thin crust of blood had dried under his nose. If she looked down, she was sure she would see plenty more evidence of the violent battle he had won, but she could feel his cold bare skin pressing everywhere...Nope, not looking down.  
  
He was still holding her tightly by the scruff of her neck, but he wasn't hurting her...NOT Angelus then, she took that as a good sign. Her hands were trapped against his rock solid chest. She pushed out with her elbows just a little, she felt his body sway back and she raised her hands to his face...She wanted to yell and scream and kick the shit out of her stupid friend, but his eyes held her entranced. She slid her thumb across his lips, and they parted, his pink tongue slipping out just far enough to taste her skin. She spoke softly. "Come on, Angel your hurt. Untie me, I'm not running away."  
  
Angel's free hand slipped lightly up her arm, and came to rest close to the gash on her shoulder. She winced. His penetrating gaze slowly swiveled to her cut, which was still seeping blood. "Shhh, baby I know you won't run. You can't, I've got you now." The hand at her neck dropped a few inches gripping the torn fabric at her shoulder, pushing her closer to his chest. "Your hurt Cor, I'm going to take care of you." He leaned in close and brushed his cheek to hers. "I had a vision of you." His lips tickled her ear as he whispered. "I felt your fear..." He nipped her earlobe. "It makes you smell like a ripe plum..." She could feel a rumbling purr start low in his chest. "Mmm...I want a taste."  
  
"Angel stop." She tried to put a little confidence behind her trembling words. "Your scaring me, please...UNTIE ME!" She twisted, trying to break his grip, but he was like living marble, cold, pale and incredibly hard. She didn't have a prayer. He turned her around and cradled her back against his chest. Tears of frustration pricked at her eyes. "What do you want from me?"  
  
"I want you to quit denying you feel anything for me." His voice was hard, but his grip softened, as he wrapped one arm around her waist. "I want you to shut up, for once. I want to be the one who does the talking..."  
  
A soft whimper slipped from between Cordelia's lips, as his possessive hands clenched around the fabric of her ruined top. She instinctively leaned into his cool embrace. "So talk."  
  
Angel spoke with his hands, as her shirt fluttered torn and useless from her body. She gasped in surprise, once again trying to twist out of his grip, this time she got a good elbow into his ribs. He only grunted, and grabbed her hips, just as quickly as her shirt had disappeared her shorts were lying in two pieces on the floor. She tried to scream but his icy hand clamped over her mouth, and she was once again jerked roughly against him, only this time she felt his erection pressing against her backside. His free hand splayed across her belly, pushing her flush with him. His voice lowered, husky with need. "Cordy stop fighting...I, I won't be able to control it..." She could hear his jaw cracking with the effort to control the change. "I don't want to hurt you."  
  
She bit down hard on the palm of his hand, and with a hiss of pain, he pushed her away. She tumbled over the arm of the couch, and landed in a ungainly heap on the cushions. She pushed herself over and sat on the floor with her back to the couch, her arms and legs drawn protectively across her body. She understood Angels struggle, but she wasn't going to play the willing victim for him right now, so he could just scratch that off his game plan for the evening. "You said you wanted to talk, Angel? Well here I am. I'm certainly not running anywhere, so if you've got something to say, spit it out! I'm NOT playing this game!"  
  
He moved with the grace of a predator as he crouched in front of her. His gold eyes glinted in the moonlight, his distinctive brow ridges accentuating the fact that for all his good looks there was a part of him that wasn't even remotely human. It helped that she was really pissed right now, otherwise she would have been terrified.  
  
  
Angel simply stared at his brassed off seer. The scent of her naked body, and bloody cut, were drawing out instincts passed down since before mankind even walked the earth. He hadn't meant for things to get so far out of control, but here they were. He was still in control enough however to realize how he handled the next few minutes would, for better or worse, define their relationship. Looking at Cordelia cowering in front of him with tearstained cheeks, and bright defiant eyes made him feel incredibly old and tired. He had wanted this to be a perfectly romantic evening. He had wanted to promise her the moon, and eventually the sun, but all he could offer her now was his broken life...No wonder she keeps running away.  
  
Sensing that it was now or never, he leaned forward, close but not touching. "I love you."  
  
At his soft words her hazel orbs snapped to his golden ones. She studied his face for a moment, then with a minute nod, said, "I know."  
  
He sighed, reaching out to stroke her damp cheek. "Then what's the problem."  
  
She leaned into his palm, "That IS the problem." She put the rope tied around her hands in her mouth and tried to pull it loose.  
  
He frowned. He had never even considered the possibility that she might not actually love him. He had been so sure in his heart that she did, but her answers were like a kick in the balls. "You, you d-don't feel the same?"  
  
Cordelia couldn't help but smile a little. To see Angel stuttering while in gameface was something she wouldn't soon forget. "Don't be a dumbass!" She said,sharply. "Of course I love you too."   
  
Angel felt a huge weight drop from his heart. She loved him! Ok, he had known that, but she wasn't making much sense to his vision fried brain and there was still the slow burn of anger in her eyes. He felt the pull of the blood on her exposed skin. "Why is my loving you a problem?"  
  
She stared at him, dumfounded, her simmering anger finally boiling over. "BECAUSE! I'm in love with you, and you SUCK at being in love! First you push me away like you did with Buffy! Then every time I turn around, you're just THERE, all in my space!" She waved her arms around her personal bubble zone. "You're manipulative, you are a anal retentive asshole, you can go evil at the drop of a hat, you have trust issues, and you're scaring me because you're naked, and acting all psycho, and you won't frickin UNTIE ME!"  
  
She launched herself at him, using her shoulder to knock him over He fell back, her momentum shoving her shoulder into his face, her wounded, bleeding shoulder. His arms wrapped tight around her, stilling her struggles. He rolled, draping his heavier body over hers. He pulled her hands up over her head and held them tight in one hand, with the other he cupped her face, forcing her to maintain eye contact.  
  
"Your right, Cordy, I am all of those things and more. I am a monster, but YOU showed me there could be more to my life than that. I've screwed this up. It's not the first time and it certainly won't be the last. I've lost too fucking much, and I've come to realize you are the one thing in my life that I absolutely refuse to live without." She bucked underneath him, but her eyes were beginning to soften. "I let you have a chance to get away, but you let it go, so my way of seeing it is that your mine now." He growled. "So you had better get used to me...in your personal space, waking up next to me, me inside you..." He thrust his hips into hers. She cried out, but her hips rose to meet his. "Me doing this..." He bent down and ran the flat of his tongue roughly over her cut.  
  
She gasped in pain, but arched against him. He lifted her and carried her to the couch. He positioned her as if she were a living doll, knees on the floor stomach pressed against the cushion of the seat. He knelt behind her, and reached around his hand sliding slowly up her belly only to cup one breast. He pulled her to his chest, his head dropping to her ear. "Will you trust me?" He waited, absolutely still...she had better say yes, because he had her taste now.  
  
Finally she nodded. One hand snaked across her hip, over neatly trimmed curls, fingers dipping into her wet passage. His other one already at her breast began to knead the heavy globe, teasing her nipple into a hard dusky peak. His fingers found a natural rhythm inside her, thumb rubbing the swollen bud of her clitoris. He was quickly loosing control, the heat of her soft skin bringing his own dead cells alive, the heady scent of her fluids, mixed with the pure essence of her blood stirring his lust. He fought the urge to taste her again...Not just yet  
  
Cordelia couldn't believe she was letting this happen. She wasn't one of his damn chippy's. He loved her, and that was just...wow, but this possessive 'you are my property' crap was going to have to stop...well, maybe tomorrow...his fingers were awakening sensations in her that she never knew existed. His broad chest and strong arms made her feel completely surrounded and loved. She had made love to a few men, she hardly considered herself a novice, but this was different. Maybe because at long last, it was Angel, or maybe he was just THAT good, but she found her anger at his odd behavior evaporating as his fingers moved inside her, and his other hand massaged her breasts. She felt something cool and wet graze the interior of her cut. She stiffened. "Angel?"  
  
His head jerked away from her shoulder, and buried itself in her hair. She realized what he wanted. Icy shivers, doused the fire he had been building under her skin. She loved him, and trusted him with her heart, and her life. She wasn't sure if she was ready to trust him with this. "I don't think..." She could feel him rubbing the ridges of his face against the back of her head, trying to turn back. His arms went slack.  
  
"Cordy I'm sorry, but I can't. I'm too far gone..." His voice sounded so plaintive that her heart broke for him. She got it, finally...She truly and completely got it. To love the man, to really love him...you couldn't separate him from the monster. Even if he ever did turn human, that darkness would still be there. If she made him pull back now, he would never be completely hers. The thought cut through her, and she knew with absolute clarity...She could do it, and not only that, for Angel's sake she could embrace it. She would handle the monster, AND all the bloodlust and psychotic wackiness that might ensue. Because she loved him. It was just that simple.  
  
"Shh Angel, It's ok, It's going to be ok..." She twisted her head, until she was looking at his profile. He looked away. "Angel, look at me." He turned slowly, his demonic features were hard to gauge in the moonlight, but she caught the glint of tears running down his face. "I trust you." Three simple words had him staring at her with his heart in his eyes. She licked her lips, and leaned forward, stealing a soft kiss...My god the man has a perfect mouth. She smiled into his troubled gaze. "I love you, ALL of you, and I want you to take all of me."  
  
"You don't know what your asking." His voice was rough.  
  
"Show me."  
  
Angel did.  
  
His lips found her already opened neck and pressed soft kisses along the length of her shoulder. His fingers splayed across her hips, and he used his weight to bend her towards the couch. His hard cock pressed against her entrance, hesitating, waiting for permission. His wandering lips traced a path down her spine. His hands wandered, stopping and exploring the mysteries of her terrain at will...the dip in her belly, the curve of her pelvis, the undersides of her breasts, the smooth symmetry of her collarbone, nothing was sacred as he heard her mewl underneath him. She pressed back, pushing the tip of his penis into her. She tossed her hair, and teased him with her twinkling cat's eyes. "Jeeze, you're invited, fuck me already!"   
  
He smirked, as he slipped fully inside her. They were a perfect fit, her tight passage slipped over him like a glove. Slowly, he pulled almost completely out. It had been so long since he had been inside anyone that he was afraid of loosing it right then. He wanted *this* at least to be right. That she feel how much he loved and needed her was what was important. He adjusted his rhythm and with deliberate care swirled his tongue deep into her wounded shoulder.  
  
Cordy bit her lip as his tongue rasped against her torn flesh. She hoped he was getting something out of it, because it wasn't pleasant. She tried to concentrate, on the feel of him inside her as he slowly pumped her. Despite the pain at her neck, a knot of liquid pleasure was building in her belly and spreading slowly down her thighs. She could feel the blood start to flow as his fangs tore at the fresh wound. His lips formed a seal, over the free flowing blood, and she felt his tongue swirling encouraging the flow. She felt a strong pull, and it was as if someone had plucked a single note of pleasure on her nerve endings. She gasped, and Angel's body tensed, every muscle cording tight. His hips jerked, and his steady pace became more erratic as he drank.   
  
This was not natural. Cordelia thought she understood about Vampires, but there had never been anything written in the books about this. First every nerve ending shot off like the fourth of July. Then as he began to drink, everything slowed down...his hard thrusts seemed to last an eternity of drawn out ecstasy, the lightest brush of his fingers sent shock waves of pleasure jolting through her body. For a moment it felt like her heart stopped and her blood flowed in the opposite direction.   
  
She was dimly aware that he had let her neck go and bent over her back. His thrusts were more controlled. One arm was wrapped tightly around her waist, and the other hand worked her clit as she exploded. Her body tensed as her muscles clenched tight over his cock. The moonlight splintered, on the ocean waves, and deep inside she splintered as his shaft found her spot. She stifled her screams as he rode it out. She could feel the build of pressure in his penis, and then he was there, his cheek rubbing against hers, whispering her name as he came...  
  
She must have lost consciousness, because when she woke, the ropes were off, her shoulder had been bandaged, and she was wrapped comfortably in a fluffy comforter. Angel wasn't in bed with her. She rolled over and saw him sleeping on the couch. It looked like he had showered, and found a clean pair of boxers. He was probably feeling all guilty and conflicted over what he had done. Big Dork. She padded softly into the bathroom and took a quick hot shower. When she was done she dried off, and went in search of underwear. She glanced at Angel, and then with a shrug decided it really didn't matter anymore...  
  
She sat on the edge of the bed and watched him sleep. He was healing pretty fast. The purple on his chin was already fading to yellow, and his eye only had a red slash underneath. His ribs were still pretty bruised...she wondered if her blood had spiked his healing process any. Her body began to tremble as the events of the day began to finally catch up to her. She watched Angel sleep until she could no longer keep her eyes open. After a while she crawled on top of his chest, and snuggled into the too small couch with him. He never woke up, but his arms circled her protectively, and his feet tangled with hers.   
  
They spent the remainder of the cruise below deck. 


End file.
